


[Day 1] Vows

by ShadoWolf55



Series: MidoTaka Week 2017 [5]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, MidoTaka Week 2017, midotaka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 11:27:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11160924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadoWolf55/pseuds/ShadoWolf55
Summary: Day 1 prompts:Opposition || Warning || “I vow to…”Pairing: Midorima X Takao[midotakaweek2017.tumblr.com]





	[Day 1] Vows

_ I, Midorima Shintarou, _

 

Midorima Shintarou, a person of tradition and culture yet represents the new age of medicine. A renowned surgeon and saviour of hundreds and thousands of lives, he was one of the richest people in Japan, just second to CEO Philanthropist Akashi Seijuro. He could have anything he wanted, have any woman he wished to marry, live his life with anyone he wanted. However, despite the many requests for marriage by ladies from noble families, he had turned them all down, claiming he already belonged to someone else.

 

_ take you Takao Kazunari, _

 

Takao Kazunari was an ordinary man from an ordinary family. He was the leader and lead vocalist of a famous band in Japan, having written many songs to convey his ideals and feelings along with his other band members. He was constantly surrounded by fangirls wanting to date him, give him presents, blow him kisses. Yet, he rejected each and every one of them, the words “I already have a boyfriend” hanging on his mouth.

 

_ to be my husband, _

 

Who cares if their relationship had stumbled so many time within their 10 years of love? Who cares if they had met so many thunderstorms the whole time? It mattered no more as they stood proud and happy before a small crowd of family and friends, fingers interlocked together and a small smile plastered on their faces.

 

_ my partner in life _

 

It all started in High School when they played for the same basketball team. One was the Miracle Ace, the other the Hawkeyed Shadow. Pass after pass, shot after shot, their bond grew as the days passed by. By then, it was common to see a black haired boy cycling a rickshaw with a green haired boy in the cart. It was common to see a 195cm giant and a 176cm regular boy carrying a huge statue through the front gate. It was common to see an obnoxious boy bothering a studious one. Their habits, their personalities, their daily rituals have all become a part of the other like they were meant to.

 

_ and my one true love. _

 

Midorima had been in a relationship before and it wasn’t really much of a secret. Everyone from Teiko knew how he and Akashi were a package. Not only were they Captain and Vice-Captain of the Teiko Basketball Team, both held a close and special bond that only broke when they graduated from Junior High. Takao, on the other hand, had dated a couple of girls in Junior and High School before his get-together with Midorima. The greenhead had watched Takao dealt with breakups, surprise dates and a whole range of other activities he didn’t really care about. All he cared was that Takao was smiling more than he usually did and that Takao did not seem to be on the side of the fence he was on.

_ I will cherish our union _

“Takao, I… I just wish to tell you that…”

He threw his arms over the shorter boy’s shoulders and pulled him closer to his chest. He could feel the boy’s heaving breathing against his own, not the heavy ones like after training but neither was it light like those after a short jog. Softly, he whispered over the deafening sound of his heartbeat banging wildly against his chest.

“I love you.”

He noticed how the boy had stiffened in his grip and suddenly let go, afraid he had made a wrong move, proclaimed his love to the wrong boy at the wrong timing. He slowly backed away and set off into a sprint as he covered his face in shame.

He watched as he phone vibrated and more messages streamed in. Ever since last night, Takao had been messaging him relentlessly and calling him every hour. Midorima did not know what to do, he could not face Takao, neither did he find the resolve to talk to his best friend. He switched his phone to silent mode, grabbed his bag and left earlier than usual for school. He simply had not yet found the courage to meet the hawk-eyed boy, not after whatever he had said yesterday.

 

“Shin-chan, stop avoiding me. We need to talk.” Takao had grabbed his shoulder when he tried to leave his classroom for physical education lessons.

 

“...” 

 

“Shin-chan, can we at least talk? Could you meet me at the rooftop during lunch?”

 

“... Ok…” Midorima wondered what he should expect. Should he prepare his heart for a rejection? Or should he get his hopes up that maybe Takao liked him back? His mind was running wild with thoughts that had never occurred to him in the past years, so much that he could not focus during the remaining lessons. 

 

_ and love you more each day than I did the day before. _

 

“Shin-chan, you’re here!” Takao had chirped happily as Midorima pushed open the door to the school’s rooftop. For a second, Midorima wondered that was just a false front to an impending rejection.

 

“I… I thought about what you said, the whole of last night. I wanted to know why you didn’t reply my text messages or calls.”

 

“...”

 

“Shin-chan, I-I was worried.”

 

Midorima arched an eyebrow. Could it be?

 

“I was worried that I did something wrong because,” Takao had ran forward towards him, pulling the giant closer until they shared the same oxygen, “because I love you too, Shin-chan.”

 

The greenhead was caught off guard and he fell onto the ground, his hands tightly gripping onto the railings as he felt a soft pair of lips on his own. Takao had held his hands captive above his green hair and was cautiously sucking Midorima’s lower lip. Stoic as he was, Midorima Shintarou had no idea how to respond to that, if he should kiss back, push Takao away or simply just stay where he was given that his brain most likely short-circuited when Takao had caressed his face.

 

“So do I.”

 

_ I will trust you _

 

Midorima swore he had specifically mentioned a point about ‘secrecy’ to Takao when discussing their relationship, about how no one else should know about them. He had even warned Takao not to say anything about what happened on the rooftop but somehow, Kise had found out about it and was harboring his former teammate about it.

 

“Shut up Kise, Takao and I are not together.”

 

“Ehhh?? But you guys kissed???” Kise sipped his coffee as he sat opposite Midorima in a restaurant near his modelling studio. Instantly, Midorima’s face fell. What on earth had Takao told Kise?

 

“Shut up Kise, that never happened.” Midorima pushed up his glasses to hide a growing blush on his face. “Whatever, Midorimacchi~”

 

_ and respect you, _

 

“Nice shot Shin-chan!” A soft pat on his back and a fist stretched out towards him. “Uh… that was a nice pass…” “Shin-chan, you have to sound more appreciative!!” “Shut up.” He hated it, he didn’t really enjoy physical contact but nevertheless, he returned the fistbump despite a scowl on his face.

 

“Shin-chan, did you know I’ve always admired you?” “You told me that story 13 times already, what more do you want?” The giant retorted with clear annoyance.  “I want you to say thank you.” “Than-”

 

“TAKAO! THROW IN THE BALL!!” Their captain had yelled at them, “FOCUS ON THE GAME!” They were playing Rakuzan, no chance to let their guard down, not when Akashi was guarding Takao and their difference in skill was starkly clear.

 

Yet another steal from Takao and the latter made for a fast break. Midorima wondered whether Akashi was toying with them but put the matter into the back of his mind when the ravenhead yelled his name.

 

“Shin-chan!”

 

With a click of his tongue, Midorima ran up to receive the ball and shot it before the other members had caught up. The ball fell in through the hoop like he always did, without grazing the rim and landing on the ground with a loud thud.

 

“Such a beautiful shot, Shin-chan”

 

_ laugh with you _

 

They were leading in the second quarter. Not much of a surprise since Akashi had only played a minor role the entire time. They were leading because of Shutoku’s Light and Shadow, impressively accurate passes and flawless shots. Midorima watched as Takao burst out into laughter over certain events during the match and let a small smile creep up his face.

 

_ and cry with you, _

 

“It’s really frustrating… losing…” He had no idea why, they had trained so much, put in so much effort but in the end, they were just playing right into the hands of Akashi, losing by a considerable large margin. If not for his 3 pointers, they would have surely lost by half the points achieved by Rakuzan. Was this meant to show the huge skill difference between the two elite schools?

 

“Shin-chan…” The team had left before them to watch the Seirin-Kaijo match, leaving the two first years alone in the locker room. “Hey, it’s okay Shin-chan, you did your best.” Midorima swore he felt tears streaming down his face as his vision blurred and a faint saltiness was present in his mouth. Oh damn, he never intended to cry in front of Takao. What would Takao think of him now?

 

He pulled his shirt higher to wipe off the tears as he felt warm arms on his waist and a soft peck on his cheek. “Don’t cry Shin-chan, it hurts me to see you cry.”

 

_ loving you faithfully _

 

“Let’s go, Takao.” A phrase that stuck to his lips no matter how much he found Takao annoying, no matter how much he found the obnoxious boy irritating, he never seemed to get rid of those few words. Takao always replied with a grin and let his hands slide to the back of his head with his bag slung casually on his shoulder. 

 

_ through good times and bad, _

 

“You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.” Takao pouted as he sat on Midorima’s bed and the giant glared at the disappointed boy. 

 

“I do not have a girlfriend.” He pushed up his glasses with his taped fingers. What was this false accusation all about? He had never made out with anyone, never had feelings for anyone so what on earth was Takao talking about?

 

Takao had whipped out his phone and was scrolling through what seemed to be a long list of items before finally turning the screen for Midorima to examine the contents. “Then who is this girl?” For a moment, Midorima felt sick and disgusted.

 

“THAT’S MY SISTER, BAKAO! GET OFF MY BED!!”

 

[“Oh yah, you two look the same…”]

 

_ regardless of the obstacles we may face together. _

 

“I can’t keep this up! Do you understand? Shin-chan, not everyone can deal with you!” Takao was yelling, exasperated as his flung his Captain armband to the ground and bit his lip, turning to face the wall.

 

“I’m sorry I caused you trouble.” The accused had muttered quietly. Truth was, what Takao said had broken his heart because no matter how gentle Takao made it sound like, he still sounded like a breakup to the stoic Ace-shooter. He felt a tear drop escape and drip down his face. Dammit, why was he even crying? Swiftly, he opened the door and left to avoid causing anymore trouble. So Takao found him a bother… huh…? More teardrops fell and he felt his heart wrenching up, like cold hands grabbing it in a death grip. Before he could leave the house, Takao ran out and held him back.

 

“Ok, I’m sorry Shin-chan. I was just stressed, you did nothing wrong. I love you, Shintarou.” The familiar arms had wrapped itself around Midorima’s waist and something nuzzling his back. Midorima stood still, right hand still holding onto the doorknob until he finally let go and turned to look at Takao.

 

“I’m glad, Takao. I’m glad you still love me. I promise to be better to you.”

 

X-X-X

 

_ I vow to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. _

 

Maybe this is what love is, just a lie, a cover up for the entire true story. Maybe this is what love is. A burden. 

 

Age 20, young with a bright future, Midorima Shintarou found himself facing a situation he never imagined he would have to undergo. Either break up with Takao or give up studying Medicine overseas. There was always the other option of long-distance relationship but he didn’t even want to try that option.

 

“Shin-chan, I’m okay. You can… You can go to Europe to study. I’ll wait till you come back…” Takao was struggling to keep himself together ever since Midorima had told him of his plans. Takao already had a job as a part-time guitarist in a local band which paid enough for him to get by. Midorima, on the other hand, had spent his years in college taking course after course so as to achieve a scholarship to a reputable University of Medicine in Europe.

 

“Takao, are you sure? I can forgo this, the university in Tokyo is willing to accept me.” Midorima did not want to risk his relationship with Takao just because of someone scholarship offer.

 

“I’m sure. Chase your dreams, Shin-chan. I’ll be here when you come back.”

 

_ I vow to love you, _

 

Being an overseas scholar was not as easy as Midorima thought. He had to leave 2 weeks earlier to get himself familiarise with the place so that he would waste no time when the school term started. The door to the room opened and to his utmost surprise and horror, seated on the couch in front of the television was a familiar red head, dressed in casual clothes watching a basketball match.

 

“A-Akashi?” His lips had trembled when he blurted that once familiar name. “Oh, Midorima, I never expected to see you here. I see we are roommates huh?” It had been a while since they had met, ever since Shutoku defeated Rakuzan in their third year and a mini gathering to celebrate Midorima’s victory. 

 

The idea of being alone with his ex-boyfriend was haunting to him. He already had Takao, he wondered why fate was playing with him. It was as if he was forced to choose between Akashi and Takao or have none. Truth was, despite whatever that happened in Teiko, Midorima still harboured some, if not little feelings for Akashi. His charm and intelligence simply could not be compared to anyone else.

 

_ and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, _

 

“Takao, I… I need to tell you something.” Midorima had flown back to Japan once his first year there was over. It had been fruitful in many way, lessons were killing him, he barely had a breather and even if he could, someone was stealing away his time.

 

Takao felt his heart tremble in anxiety as he looked up at his boyfriend who had put his book down on the bed.

 

“I… I… Akashi and I… We…”

 

Flashes of horror and disbelief made its way onto Takao’s face. He wanted to believe that this was not happening. No fucking way did Akashi squeeze his way into his Shin-chan’s love life!

 

“We sort of made out… I… I… didn’t really want to but…”

 

“Shin-chan.” Takao was trembling and he was on the verge of breaking. Who was Akashi to touch Shin-chan with his filthy, money-touching hands? “Shin-chan, don’t tell me you… k-kissed him…?”

 

“I-I’m sorry Takao. Hey, Takao wait!” Midorima got off his seat and ran to catch up to Takao but the latter had already sprinted off. “Oh god, I love you Takao. I still do. Why is this all happening…”

 

_ we will always find a way back to each other. _

 

It has been 36 months since that incident and Midorima had just completed his Medicine course and was on the plane back to Japan. He had asked Kuroko for help to find Takao but the hawkeye was nowhere to be found. He had even consulted Takao’s former bandmates but none of them knew where their lead guitarist had disappeared of to. He wanted to grab Takao and pull him close to his chest, muttering apologies and ‘I love you’s before kissing the man he loved.

 

He wanted Takao to know that he broken up with Akashi, asked for a change of roommate as soon as the term started and strayed as far from the redhead and any other student as possible, that he never kissed another boy or girl, that he never had feelings for anyone else other than Takao.

 

He searched the entire Tokyo for Takao, calling up his contacts, contacting his former Shutoku teammates but it left him empty-handed. Just like that, Takao had vanished from his life. Midorima could feel himself breaking down day by day till the point he took a week’s leave from the hospital he was interning at, claiming to feel unwell and in need of a short break. He found it hard to believe that after what he went through with Takao, the latter would just leave like this. Every morning he woke up in bed, he would turn to his right and see Takao there before reality sunk in and all he saw was empty sheets and nothing more. He never smiled again or rather, he couldn’t smile anymore. Only Takao could ever make him smile, no matter how small that heartfelt smile was.

 

_ From this day onwards, _

 

In the distance, he saw a man with black locks and a gray jacket. Shoulders slumped, hands in his pocket as the man looked up into the sky, muttering a few word before looking back onto the ground.

 

Midorima thought the guy looked strangely familiar, like it was…

 

Takao.

 

Oh god, Takao I missed you.

 

He ran up to the guy and tapped his shoulder just to be sure. Before him was those beautiful blue eyes he had fallen in love with, that flawless face and soft lips and bangs that needed to be cut.

 

“Takao.”

 

_ I give you my hand, _

 

His heart skipped a beat when he heard someone calling his name. He felt someone touch his shoulder and turned around to come face to face with a tall, green haired giant who taped his left fingers and wore black glasses.

 

“Shin-chan. It’s been a while.”

 

“Takao, why… why did you run away from me for so long…” He felt Shin-chan’s breathing against his forehead. He never realised how much panic and worry he had caused his lover until that very moment. “I was searching for you… for 4 years… Takao…” Shin-chan gripped his hand tightly, interlocking their fingers before sending a kiss to his forehead. “I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”

 

_ my heart, _

 

“Shin-chan I…”

“I’m sorry I hurt you…” Takao felt Shin-chan’s warm breathing against his ears. “Shin-chan, stop apologising. You are killing me. I should apologise for disappearing for 4 years. I’m sorry Shin-chan, I love you. I love you very much and I still do. I’m just glad we found each other.”

 

_ and my love, _

 

“Takao,” he got down on his knees and pulled out a box, “Takao Kazunari, will you marry me?”

 

_ till death do us apart. _

 

A swift grab of his wrist and familiar lips on his own was all the confirmation he needed as he hung his hand on Takao’s neck, taking the man along with him into the darkness. That very moment, the first snow touched the ground and Midorima pulled Takao closer to him. He had been waiting for this day.

 

“I vow to-” 

 

“Shin-chan, stop. Stop. You are making me cry, if you make your groom cry how am I supposed to say my vows?” Takao was half-crying, half-laughing as he tried to compose himself while Midorima simply smiled. When the shorter man finally managed to stop the tears from leaving, he tightened his grip on Midorima’s hand.

 

“I, Takao Kazunari, take you, Midorima Shintarou, to be friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband.  I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I vow to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity. I vow to love you and only you because you are the first person who caught my heart and been through so much thick and thin with me. I love you, Shin-chan.”

 

“So do I, Kazunari.

 

 


End file.
